Blogroll: Kobo Launches in South Africa

October 31, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Kobo takes eReading to New Continent—
World-Class Platform now Available to South African Consumers

 

Award-winning Kobo Touch eReader now on sale at Pick n Pay in-store and online for only R995 Toronto, Canada – October 30, 2012 – Kobo, a global leader in eReading, today announced a partnership with Pick n Pay, one of South Africa’s largest and most successful retailers. This partnership brings the world-class Kobo eReading platform to people in South Africa with the award-winning Kobo Touch™ eReader, one of the largest content catalogues in the world, and a localized online customer experience.  The Kobo website offers popular literature by notable local authors and books in both English and Afrikaans—available at www.kobo.co.za.

The award-winning Kobo Touch, named Wired Magazine’s 2012 Editor’s Pick for Best eReader, is now available for sale at select Pick n Pay Hyper stores and Supermarkets as well as online at www.picknpay.co.za for the low introductory price of R995. In addition, customers can earn Pick n Pay Smart Shopper points when they buy the Kobo Touch. [Read more...]

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Blogroll: Digital Book World

October 30, 2012 By 2 Comments

Who Shall Live and Who Shall Die: What the Random/Penguin Merger Means to You by Richard Curtis

If you’re an author or agent wondering if it will be harder or easier to sell your work; if you’re an employee of either company wondering about job security; if you’re a bookstore owner or librarian wondering about the supply of product; or if you’re simply a book lover – you’ll want to know how the merger of Random House and Penguin, announced this morning, impacts on your life. As a veteran of far too many mergers and acquisitions I can give you some sense of what’s going to happen and when.

Over the next few months – and it could be as long as a year – little or nothing will occur that anyone can see. That is because executives will be reviewing the vast and complex structures of their respective firms looking for redundancies that can be eliminated or operated more efficiently. Printers, warehouses, and a host of departments ranging from editorial to marketing, sales, publicity and accounting will be scrutinized for unnecessary duplications. The redundancies will be earmarked for elimination or consolidation. [Read more...]

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Blogroll: Jerrie Alexander – Dark, Gritty, and Emotionally-Packed Romantic Suspense

October 29, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Wednesday Coffee with Larissa Reinhart by Jerrie Alexander

Welcome! Grab a cup of coffee, have a seat, and let’s get to know Larissa Reinhart author of PORTRAIT OF A DEAD GUY. 

I recently read this book and can honestly say, I loved it. To make a reader laugh out loud is a real talent. Larissa made me laugh, fall in love with her characters, and cheer to learn one special guy has his own book coming. Let’s ask Larissa a few questions.

Welcome, Larissa.

First, thanks so much for having me on your blog, Jerrie! Can’t wait for the Green Eyed Doll to come out!

Thank you!

Q. Do you do any special research for your novels?

A. My research is scattershot. I try to not get too involved in research, or I’ll be sucked in for hours and not write or want to put too many details in just because I learned something interesting, which may not be necessary in the story. However, in my second Cherry Tucker mystery, I took a toxic forensics class because there’s a poisoning incident. Loved that class and I learned so much! [Read more...]

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Blogroll: Scrapping Is Heart Work

October 25, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Scrapbooking mystery is beautifully composed by Cynthia

A first for me and this blog — I read and reviewed a scrapbooking mystery!

Here’s my review of “Cropped to Death” by Christina Freeburn, a fellow writer, West Virginian and scrapbooker.

“Cropped To Death” is a cozy mystery that exceeds expectations. The author, Christina Freeburn, writes what she knows: scrapbooking and small-town West Virginia life. As a West Virginian who scrapbooks and runs a scrapbooking retreat for women, I was excited to get my hands on an Advance Reader Copy. The 290-page book, published by Henery Press, will be on sale Nov. 20, but you can pre-order it now from Amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com.

Not only does the heroine, Faith Hunter, work in a scrapbook store, the clue to the murderer’s identity and motive is found hidden in a scrapbook layout. Faith’s coworker is accused of cropping her cheating husband out of the picture permanently. The evidence is damning and no other suspects are considered. However, Faith feels compelled to prove her friend’s innocence because of what happened to her in the past, when she was a U.S. Army JAG Specialist. Scrapbookers will recognize the hobbyist terms but even nonscrapbookers will be able to tell from the context what Faith is talking about when she’s teaching a scrapbooking class or helping customers.

[Read more...]

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Blogroll: Cozy Mystery Book Reviews

October 22, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Review: Lowcountry Boil by Susan M. Boyer

 

Publisher’s Summary: Private Investigator Liz Talbot is a modern Southern belle: she blesses hearts and takes names. She carries her Sig 9 in her Kate Spade handbag, and her golden retriever, Rhett, rides shotgun in her hybrid Escape. When her grandmother is murdered, Liz high-tails it back to her South Carolina island home to find the killer.

She’s fit to be tied when her police-chief brother shuts her out of the investigation, so she opens her own. Then her long-dead best friend pops in and things really get complicated. When more folks start turning up dead in this small seaside town, Liz must use more than just her wits and charm to keep her family safe, chase down clues from the hereafter, and catch a psychopath before he catches her.

Our Review: PI Liz Talbot has returned to Stella Maris, South Carolina, following the death of her grandmother. Liz is intent of finding the killer, even if her police-chief brother doesn’t want her to get involved. However soon its not just her grandmother that has been murdered, with more dead bodies turning up and Liz has to use everything in her power to try to find the killer, before more of her family is harmed.

Lowcountry Boil is a 2012 Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence in Mystery/Suspense, and is a finalist in the 2012 Romance Writers of America® Golden Heart® contest, and it’s not hard to see why. Susan M. Boyer has crafted a charming mystery, with characters that will delight mystery readers, as they follow the adventure of Liz and Rhett, her golden retriever.

I like how Susan M. Boyer has mixed it up with Liz’s brother being the police chief. All too often there is a tendency in cozy mysteries to have the policy chief/detective to a romantic interest of the amateur sleuth, and this isn’t the case here. It’s great to see a new dynamic in the sleuth’s life.

Lowcountry Boil is a very strong debut. It has all the elements of a great cozy mystery series: charming characters that a reader can relate to, a stunning whodunnit and of course the adorable sidekick in Liz’s golden retriever, Rhett!

I can’t wait for more books in this charming southern series.

Buy from Amazon

Title: Lowcountry Boil
Author: Susan M. Boyer
Series: Book 1 of A Liz Talbot Southern Mystery
Publisher: Henery Press
ISBN: 978-1938383045

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The Week’s Best-Selling Books

October 17, 2012 By 2 Comments

The Week’s Best-Selling Books in Johns Creek ‘Portrait of a Dead Guy’ tops the week of Oct. 8.

From Peerless Book Store in Johns Creek, here are the week’s best-sellers:

  1. Portrait of a Dead Guy by Larissa Reinhart
  2. Sweeter Than Tea by Multiple Authors
  3. The River Witch by Kimberly Brock
  4. White Witch by Trish Milburn
  5. Thinking Write: The Secret to Freeing Your Creative Mind by Kelly Stone
  6. Wedded in Sin by Jade Lee
  7. Wedded in Scandal by Jade Lee
  8. Summer’s Song by Lindi Peterson
  9. The Devil DeVere by Victoria Bane
  10. The Cassanova Code by Donna MacMeans

Peerless Book Store sells new, used, out-of-print and rare books and will also special order books for customers. The store on Holcomb Bridge Road hosts a book club and a number of author events and signings. For more information, visit www.peerlessbookstore.com.

Related Topics: Best-selling books and Peerless Book Store

Located in Johns Creek, Peerless Book Store features new, used, rare and out of print books for children and adults, including fiction, non-fiction, best sellers, art, architecture, cooking, photography, animals and more. Peerless Book Store additionally features in-store events such as author appearances, as well as online ordering options. For information on titles, be sure to call the telephone number or visit the website provided.

  • Hours: Mon – Sat, 10am – 8pm; Sun, closed
  • Book store specialties: Audio books, Children’s books
  • New/used: New, Used
  • Book store features: Special order

 

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Blogroll: The Verge

October 16, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Amazon details ebook price-fixing refund policy, will give up to $1.32 per book

Refunds won’t be released until February 2013 at earliest by Aaron Souppouris

Customers that purchased an ebook from Amazon between April 2010 and May 2012 will receive a partial refund soon. The Wall Street Journal says that Amazon has begun to email customers informing them that they’ll receive between $0.30 and $1.32 for each ebook from the publishers named in the lawsuit — namely Hachette, HarperCollins, Macmillan, Penguin, Simon & Schuster, and their subsidiaries. The top-tier credits will be reserved for titles that made The New York Times’ bestsellers list at any point between April 2010 and May 2012. Refunds will arrive in the form of an account credit, although you will be able to request a check instead.

The refund is the result of an investigation into price-fixing by Apple and major publishers. The defendants agreed on a settlement with a number of State Attorneys General back in August, but consumers won’t receive a credit until courts approve the agreement at a hearing next February. Barnes & Noble told The Wall Street Journal that it will be sending a similar email to its customers soon, but in the meantime you can check out an official FAQ that explains eligibility and the refund process in detail.

 

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Blogroll: Digital Book World

October 12, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Advertiser-Supported E-Books

 

Would you rather get e-books for free but have to look at ads between chapters, or would you rather pay for e-books that are ad-free?

If you answered “free,” you’re like nearly half of Americans, according to a survey that came out yesterday. (The survey itself was conducted by a start-up, eBookPlus, that hopes to pioneer in-book advertising and the

methodology was quite opaque, so make of it what you will. Still, it’s an interesting issue to ponder.)

In our own unscientific survey on Twitter, many found the idea of ads in books quite abhorrent, while others liked the free price point.

Meanwhile, about one in seven said they’d prefer to pirate the book with the remainder (about 35%) saying they’d prefer to pay some price: from $0.99 to $19.90.

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Blogroll: Mystery Tribune – Best of Crime Fiction and Suspense. Daily.

October 11, 2012 By Leave a Comment

“Portrait of a Dead Guy” By Larissa Reinhart review by Mystery Tribune

Larissa Reinhart began her writing career in second grade when she sold her first publication to her neighbor for a nickel. After moving around the Midwest, South, and Japan, she now lives in Georgia with her husband, young daughters, and Biscuit, a Cairn terrier. Although she speaks without an accent, her writing is known to have a Southern drawl. Her debut novel, Portrait of a Dead Guy, is a 2011 Dixie Kane Memorial winner, a 2012 The Emily finalist, and a 2012 Daphne du Maurier Award finalist.

A Brief Summary:

In Halo, Georgia, folks know Cherry Tucker as big in mouth, small in stature, and able to sketch a portrait faster than buckshot rips from a ten gauge — but commissions are scarce. So when the well-heeled Branson family wants to memorialize their murdered son in a coffin portrait, Cherry scrambles to win their patronage from her small town rival.

As the clock ticks toward the deadline, Cherry faces more trouble than just a controversial subject. Her rival wants to ruin her reputation, her ex-flame wants to rekindle the fire, and someone’s setting her up to take the fall. Mix in her flaky family, an illegal gambling ring, and outwitting a killer on a spree, Cherry finds herself painted into a corner she’ll be lucky to survive.

Our Take:

 ”Reinhart is a truly talented author and this book was one of the best cozy mysteries we reviewed this year.”

Many cozy mysteries come to our desk for review but very few have the charm, humor, and careful choice of language we saw in this book. You can consider this a “literary piece” among cozy mysteries.

From the first scene Halo, Georgia and the book’s cast of colorful characters came to life in our mind. The story, though, is beyond just humor and hunky characters; the story is rich with some great plotting, suspense, and mystery that keeps the pages turning. Swooning, or laughing. We highly recommend this book to all lovers of mystery books.

Our Rating: 4.5

Like Books By Larissa Reinhart?

This is the debut work of this author so you need to be patient. You can click on the image below in case you want to check out the Amazon page for the author’s debut work.

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Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner!

October 10, 2012 By 3 Comments

and the Moonlight & Magnolia’s Gift Basket raffle winner is…

 

Congratulations to the winner of the Henery Press Moonlight & Magnolia’s gift basket, Hildie McQueen. Hildie is a blogger, writer, and scrapbook addict.  Visit Hildie on Facebook or her blog;

Writing by Moonlight.  A special thank you goes out to all who contributed to this basket of great books and tasty goodies.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Contest, Giveaways, Hen House Updates
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